Automated storage unit publisher

ABSTRACT

An automated storage unit publishing system may include a recording device for recording information on a storage unit memory chip; a bin plate with a storage unit bin and a casing bin; an assembling mechanism movably attached to the bin plate, the assembling deck comprising a shuttle for removing a selected sized casing from the casing bin and a recorded flash memory chip from the chip bin and assembling the two into a single unit using pressure; a printing device for printing marks, indications or decoration on the casing, and a gripping device for placing the finished unit in an output mechanism.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a system and method of use forautomating the processing steps required for producing multiple copiesof pre-recorded information; more particularly, it relates to anapparatus for automatically publishing digital content to storage units.

The problem today of publishing digital content on a data storage unit,such as a USB, SD or other storage device, is identifying content ordata that is stored on the unit by the labeling of the drive. Suchstorage units are manufactured without any content stored on the flashand either have no labeling on them, or they are labeled with a brandedlogo. To add content to a storage unit, they are individually connectedto a device and data is transferred to the drive. If the drive is notlabeled the drive is manually moved to a printer and a label/image isapplied. There is no solution today that verifies the content on thestorage unit matches the label artwork applied to the storage unit.

The system and method described herein provides a compact, faster,automated improvement of content publishing, eliminates errors andoffers other advantages over the prior art.

SUMMARY

The disclosure provides a solution that allows parallel processing ofthe image data and the digital content data and avoids the human errorinherent in current methods. A significant time reduction may beachieved by storing the data while preprinting the image to a transfersheet prior to transferring the image to the storage unit. This solutionallows for each storage unit to have its unique data and be labeled withits own unique label within an automated workflow, assuring that theimage printed on the drive directly correlates to the data stored on thedrive. The system assures the finished unit is manufactured tospecifications of the job and is functional.

An automated storage unit publishing system comprises a recording devicefor recording information on a storage unit memory chip; a bin platewith a storage unit bin and a casing bin; an assembling mechanismmovably attached to the bin plate, the assembling deck comprising ashuttle for removing a selected sized casing from the casing bin and arecorded flash memory chip from the chip bin and assembling the two intoa single unit using pressure; a printing device for printing marks,indications or decoration on the casing, and a gripping device forplacing the finished unit in an output mechanism.

The features, functions and advantages that have been discussed may beachieved independently in various embodiments of the present inventionor may be combined with yet other embodiments, further details of whichcan be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment consistent with this disclosure andshowing how a user accesses and interacts with a publishing system asdescribed herein.

FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate storage units capable of recording digitalcontent and assembled to casings consistent with this disclosure.

FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate exemplary casings that may be used with anautomated storage unit publishing device.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an exemplary automated storage unitpublishing device consistent with this disclosure.

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate upper and underside views of a mounting platecomprising case and storage unit bins, recording units and assemblerunit and carriage subsystem.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary recording device for recording digitalcontent on a flash memory chip consistent with this disclosure.

FIGS. 7a and 7b illustrates upper and underside views of an assemblersubsystem.

FIG. 8 illustrates and exemplary printing device and gripper mechanismwith lift consistent with this disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary gripper device of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 provides an additional view of an exemplary gripping device.

FIGS. 11a and 11b provide a flow chart describing a method of using anautomated storage unit publishing device consistent with thisdisclosure.

FIGS. 12a-12d provide incremental views of the process of aligning therecorder with a storage unit at the base of a storage unit bin.

FIGS. 12e-12h provide alternative incremental views of the process ofaligning the recorder with a storage unit at the base of a storage unitbin.

FIGS. 13a and 13b provide greater detail of the connection between arecorder tongue and the storage unit.

FIG. 14 illustrates an alternative exemplary gripper device.

FIG. 15 provides an additional view of an exemplary gripping device ofFIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the claimed subject matter will now be described morefully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, butnot all embodiments are shown. The subject matter disclosed may beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that the disclosure may satisfy legal requirements. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

Where possible, any terms expressed in the singular form herein aremeant to also include the plural form and vice versa, unless explicitlystated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “a” and/or “an” shallmean “one or more,” even though the phrase “one or more” is also usedherein. Furthermore, when it is said herein that something is “based on”something else, it may be based on one or more other things as well. Inother words, unless expressly indicated otherwise, as used herein “basedon” means “based at least in part on” or “based at least partially on.”It should also be understood that while some embodiments describe themethods or products as comprising one or more elements, the methods orelements may also consist of or consist essentially of the elementsdisclosed herein.

As described herein, a “user” is an individual who seeks to utilize,operate or perform one or more activities associated with publishinginformation on a digital storage unit. A preferred embodiment of anautomated storage unit publishing device is illustrated in FIG. 1. Auser may access such a system 100 using a computing system 102operatively connected to the publishing system 100, to create or storemedia files for recording or printing on a select size and capacitycasing-and-storage unit chip unit. The computing system 102 may be atypical laptop or desktop computer, equipped with a communicationsdevice 104, a processing device 106, a memory device 108 withnon-transitory data storage 110, modules and applications 112. Thecomputing system 102 may provide access to the automated publishingdevice 100 controller software via an application stored in thecomputing system memory 112 or as a software-as-a-service applicationaccessible over the internet via the communications device 104. Theautomated publishing system 100 similarly comprises a computingcomponent with a communications device 114, a processing device 116 andmemory device 118 with data storage 120, modules and applications 122.An automated publishing system 100 may be provided as a standalonedevice, as shown in FIG. 1, or may be provided as a system of multipledevices accessible via a network. The automated publishing system 100further comprises a number of subassemblies or subsystems equipped withmicrocontrollers directing the function and behavior of the subsystem inresponse to stored programs and sensor indications.

When the automated publishing system 100 is accessed from a computersystem 102, a graphical user interface (GUI) may be generated allowingthe user to configure a publishing job by inputting job parameters. Theinterface may be generated from computer instructions physically located112 on the computing system or may be accessed from a remote computingsystem via a network or cloud 124. A typical set of job parameters mayinclude specifying the size of a casing, the capacity of the storageunit (which may alternatively be automatically determined by the size ofthe content file) and the storage location for image and content files.A user may load casings and memory chips into bins. Once job parametersare set, the job will proceed and complete automatically and the usermay retrieve finished units from a finished unit stack.

Exemplary storage units 200 a and 200 b are illustrated in FIGS. 2a and2b . The exemplary units are USB3 storage units each comprised of anouter casing or enclosure 202, integrated with a USB data interface 204that will allow the finished product to connect with a USB port on acomputing system, a memory chip 206 and a flexible plastic connector 208that provides the physical connection to the casing. The flexibleconnector may be comprised of tines 210 that collapse as the unit ispressed into a slot in the casing and relax and rebound to hold the unitin place when the connector is firmly inside the casing. USB3 storageunit chip standards require two sets of contacts: spring-loaded contacts212 and stationary contacts 214.

FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate exemplary large 302 and small 304 casingsconsistent with those that may be used with an automated storage unitpublishing system 102. Casings may be manufactured from plastic, metalor other materials and may be of any size consistent with the subsystemsof the publishing system. A slot 306 in the casing allows the publishingsystem to connect a storage unit 200 a or 200 b to a casing 302, 304using a connecting device such as the flexible connector 208 depicted inFIG. 2.

An outer surface 308 of the large 302 and small 304 casings isconfigured to be printed upon. As described further below, the outersurface 308 can receive marks or indications such as images, text, andother indicia. Other examples include logos, pictures, and/or an indexof the material stored on the memory chip within the casing. The outersurface 308 of the small 304 casing of FIG. 3c has example marks andindications printed thereon.

In some examples, transferring of the marks or indications to thesurface 308 can be done using techniques including: a thermal retransferprinter including a thermal ink ribbon, a clear retransfer film, athermal print head to print image to the retransfer ribbon, and aheating roller to transfer the printed image to substrate; an inkjetprinter including cartridges of ink that are dispensed on the surface totransfer the image to the substrate; and/or a direct thermal printerconsisting of thermal ink ribbon, a thermal print heat to print imagedirectly on the substrate, that is printed on the outer surface 308. Onenon-limiting example of such a printing process is described in U.S.Pat. No. 6,827,509 to Suden, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

One or more files including the marks or indicia for printing on theouter surface 308 is downloaded through the network 124 and stored onthe data storage 120. As described further below, modules andapplications 122 are programmed to access the marks or indicia in thefiles on the data storage 120 to print the marks or indicia on the outersurface 308.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of a multi-component systemconsistent with this disclosure. A housing unit (illustrated in FIG. 1)102, comprises a recording device 402 (illustrated more clearly in FIG.6, but obscured from view by the plate in FIG. 4), located on theunderside of an assembler plate 404, a printer 406, a robotic grippingdevice 408 with a lift mechanism 410 and robotic controller printedcircuit board assembly (PCBA) 420 (illustrated more clearly in FIG. 8)and signal monitor PCBA 422, multiple bins designed to hold anassortment of casing sizes 412 and content storage units 414 of varyingstorage capacities, and an assembler subassembly or assembler, movablyattached to a carriage assembly 416, also located on the underside ofthe plate and seen more clearly in FIGS. 5b and 7. Finished units aredropped into finished product bins arranged, in some embodiments, in acarousel 418 and may be removed manually. Such a system may perform avariety of concurrent or sequential workflows which will be discussedfurther below.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top (5 a) and bottom (5 b) view of the assemblerplate 404 comprising a casing input bin 412 and storage unit input bin414. An assembler 504 motor 502 may be located on the upper side of theassembler plate 404. An assembler 504 may be moveably connected to acarriage assembly comprising of two parallel shafts 416 located oneither side of the plate's underside and two assembler belts 508, eachadjacent to a shaft 416, allowing the assembler to slide along theshafts 416, aligning the assembler 504 under selected card 412 andstorage unit 414 bins for assembly. The bottom of the card 412 andstorage unit bins 414 protrude into the assembler plate 404 undersidefor accessibility by the assembler 504 and recorder 402. A lifter block510 may be mounted to the bottom of the storage unit bin 414.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary recording device for recording digitalcontent on a storage unit memory chip 206. A publishing system 102consistent with this disclosure may comprise a set of recording devices402 mounted in front of each storage unit bin 414. Some embodiments mayhave a recording device 402 that slides from bin to bin along a carriageassembly, according to a job workflow selected and configured by theuser. A preferred embodiment may be designed with a recorder 402 mountedin front of each storage unit bin 414. The recording device 402 maycomprise a set of guide pins 602 and a tongue 604 with connectors thatmay be inserted into the data interface 204 of the storage unit, andwhich are operatively connected to a data cable 606; upper 608 and lower610 guide plates; a leadscrew 612, leadscrew nut 614, motor 616 andbearing blocks 618 allowing translational motion. A recording device 402mounted in front of a storage unit bin 414 is driven forward by a motor616 and leadscrew 612 to connect with the lowest storage unit in the bin414 stack. A tongue 604 and data cable 606 is held in a fixed positionby upper 608 and lower plates 610. When the tongue 604 connects with thestorage unit contacts 212, 214 and is in position for recording, thetongue 604 sends a signal via the data cable 606, indicating that therecorder 402 is in position for recording and recording may begin. Thetongue 604 may be replaced by other signal monitoring devices or adaptedor reconfigured according to the type of data interface on the storageunit.

FIG. 7 illustrate the top (7 a) and underside (7 b) of an exemplaryassembler subassembly 504. An assembler 504 may be attached to acarriage assembly (416, 508) and allowed to move horizontally forwardand back parallel to case 412 and storage unit 414 bins. An assemblercontroller 702 may direct the assembler 504 in response to sensorindications. Case size sensors 704 are used to determine the size of thecase on the case lifter 716. Case bin position sensors 726 are used todetermine case bin positions. Storage unit bin positions sensor 728 areused to determine storage unit bin positions. A case bin access area 706and storage unit bin access area 708 on the assembler 504 may align withthe bottom of the case bin 412 and storage unit bin 414, respectively. Alarge casing may fit within the assembly area rails 710. Smaller casingsmay require case guides 712 to position the small casing for assembly.Case guides 712 may move as the assembler 504 senses the size of thecasing. A motorized 714 case lifter 716 may be provided to allow agripper (discussed below) access to remove small casings. Shuttles 718,720 located on the assembler behind the bin access areas 706 and 708push recorded media and empty casings from their stacks to the assemblyarea. The shuttles 718, 720 may compress the storage unit 200 a or 200 binto the slot on the casing 306. Flexible tines 210 on a flexibleretainer 208 bend to allow the storage unit 200 a or 200 b to connectwith the casing 302, 304. Once inside the casing slot 306, the tines 210relax and expand to their normal configuration, securing the storageunit to the casing. FIG. 7b illustrates the underside of the assembler504, where shuttle leadscrews 722 and leadscrew motors 724 may belocated.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary printer component 406 consistent withthis disclosure. A preferred embodiment may use a thermal printer or anyother kind of printer. In a preferred embodiment the printer 406 printsan image on a retransfer sheet. The image printed on the retransfersheet may be a single side or a double-sided image. A gripper 802 may beused to place and/or remove casings to/from the printer tray 810. A liftmechanism 806, 808 allows the gripper 802 to move vertically along ashaft under the control of a computer processor 420. A printer tray 810may be opened to load a casing and closed to print the image file on thecasing under the control of a computer processor. The tray 810 may bedesigned to hold casings of multiple sizes. In some embodiments, a trayhas a rectangular seat 814 and clamp fingers 812 for holding the casingin place. Casings may be loaded into the tray by the gripper 802 in asemi-precise location, and clamp fingers 812 hold the casing in place toallow the printed image to align with the casing.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate an exemplary robotic gripping mechanism(gripper) consistent with the one illustrated in FIG. 8. The primaryfunction of the gripping mechanism 408 is to facilitate movement of theassembled case-and-storage unit to and from the printer tray, to flipthe casing to the second side following printing of the first side, andto carry the finished, printed product to a finished product bin 418,using vertical movements from the lift 410, rotation from the wrist 902,and outward movements of the arms, or claws 904. The gripper illustratedin FIGS. 9 and 10 is comprised of one microcontroller and a number ofmotors and sensors that drive the gripper to perform its functions. PCBA(Printed Circuit Board Assembly) A 804 receives information from clamp1004, rotation 910 and case present 912 sensors to guide gripperfunctions and controls and activates a casing rotate motor 908. A casingpresent sensor 912 provides the controller with an indication of whethera card is in the claw (arms) 904, or if it has been picked up but fallenoff the grip 904. PCBA B 906 provides a tie point for the dynamic cablesthat move with the gripper 408. Cables are highly flexible and runbetween PCBA A 804 and PCBA B 906. Both arms 904 move with the cable asthe wrist rotates, but do not flex in any direction. Casings are grippedwith a flip pad 916 or similar element, allowing it to flip the casingfrom one side to another. Arms 904, or claws, move outward and rotate.The claw motor 920 drives the cam 1006 to spread the arms apart 904 (seeFIG. 10). A tray present sensor 918 informs the gripper controller ofthe presence or absence of the printer tray 810, specifically, theprecise vertical location of the printer tray and indicating when thecase and storage unit may be loaded into the tray 810. Referring to FIG.10, PCBA C 1002 facilitates the functionality of the clamp sensor 1004for the gripper arms.

A method of using an embodiment of an automated storage unit publishingsystem is described by the flowchart of FIG. 11a . Some embodiments mayrequire very different configurations of the subassemblies in order tocoordinate different workflows. Coordination of the processes involvedin using the automated publishing system 100 may vary from thosedescribed here and therefore the series of steps may also vary. In oneembodiment, a user may access 1102 the automated publishing machine 100via a computing system 102. A graphical user interface 102 for acontrolling software application running on a computing system andoperatively connected to an automated publishing system 100 allows theuser to create specifications for a job, including the number of storageunits, type of casing, storage unit capacity, and the name and locationof image and digital content files to be printed or recorded on thecasing-storage unit assembled unit. In some embodiments, the user mayspecify multiple casing and storage capacity combinations and assigndifferent image and content files to each combination. When the jobbegins 1104, a printer 406 prints a front and back image to a retransfersheet. The printer tray 810 opens 1106 when it is ready to receive andprint an image on a casing-storage unit. Concurrent with printing theimage on the retransfer sheet 1104, a recording device 402, positionedin front of the selected storage unit media bin 414, moves forward 1108.As the tongue 604 and leadscrew 620 move the assembly forward, storageunit lifter pins 602 engage with lifter blocks 510 mounted to theunderside of the storage unit bin stack 414. The lifter block 510 maycomprise a ramp serving to lift the recording device 402 to allow thetongue 604 to align properly with the storage unit and provide thelowest level that the storage unit will sit in the bin 414. As therecorder 402 progresses forward the leading edge of the pin 602 willdrive down the ramp, lifting the two blocks up and aligning tongue 604to the storage unit 200 a or 200 b inside the bin 414 by lifting thelifter blocks 510, raising the storage unit 200 a or 200 b up andpushing the stack up to get the bottom storage unit aligned with thetongue 604. The tongue 604 is operatively connected to a data cable 606to receive a signal when the tongue connects with the storage unit chipconnectors 212, 214. If a signal is not received or is received butindicates that the storage unit 200 a or 200 b is defective, a messagewill be sent to the printer 406 indicating that the unit is bad and theprinter 406 will print an additional label for that unit in order tolabel it as defective.

Referring now to FIGS. 12a-12d and 12e-12h which illustrate alternativeprocesses of inserting the recorder into the bottom-most storage unitfor recording consistent with a preferred embodiment. As the recorder402 is translated forward (FIGS. 12a and 12e ) toward the bottom of thestorage unit bin 414, recorder pins 602 engage with a lifter block 510mounted at the bottom of a storage unit bin 414 (FIGS. 12b and 12f ).The recorder pins 602 engage with the top section of a ramp inside theblock (FIGS. 12c and 12g ), forcing the storage unit stack inside of astorage unit bin 414 up to align with, and insert into, the storage unit(FIGS. 12d and 12h ). A robotic controller PCBA 420, and signal monitorPCBA 422 monitor signals on the data cable 606, to determine when thetongue is fully inserted so that recording may begin. FIGS. 13a and 13billustrate the connection formed by the tongue 604 and storage unit 200a or 200 b.

Standard storage unit memory chips like the one illustrated here 206have spring-loaded 212 contacts and stationary 214 contacts. Theconnections on a device inserted into the storage unit, such as thetongue 604 described here, are the inverse of those on the storage unitchip, with spring-loaded contacts and stationary contacts opposite thestorage unit's stationary and spring-loaded contacts, respectively.Contacts must line up in three dimensions. In some embodiments, thesystem may monitor all connections to determine that a completeconnection has been made. With a preferred embodiment, the system maymonitor the two outer spring-loaded 212 contacts on the chip. When thosecontacts are made, a signal may be sent to the controller indicatingthat the recorder 402 is near alignment. A value may be set in thecontroller to allow the recorder 402 to travel an additional distance toaccount for variability in the mechanical and electrical propertiesassociated with the recording device.

Referring back to FIG. 11a , the assembler 504 moves to, and positionsbelow the selected casing stack 1110. Sensors indicate that the size ofthe case is correct and the bottom card is pulled to the case binassembly area 706. Once the content file has been recorded on thestorage unit 200 a or 200 b, the tongue withdraws 1112 from the storageunit 200 a or 200 b. The assembler moves to, and is positioned below,the bin 414 of the recorded storage unit. The recorded storage unit ispulled 1114 onto the storage unit bin assembly area 704. Assembler case718 and storage unit shuttles 720 move the case and storage unit 1116from their respective access areas and push the recorded storage unitinto the case slot 306. As was illustrated in FIGS. 2a and 2b anddiscussed above, a storage unit retainer may comprise flexible tines 210which may bend as it is forced into the case slot. Once inside the caseslot, the tines relax and the storage unit is securely fixed to thecase.

An assembled casing-storage unit may be picked up 1118 by a gripper 408and moved to the open printer tray 810 seat 814, where it is secured inplace for printing. Small casings 304 may not have sufficient clearanceon the assembler 504 and may require the case lift 716 described in FIG.7 to elevate the casing in order to allow adequate clearance for thegripper 408 to pick up the assembled case and storage unit. The gripper408 moves on the lift 410, the gripper motor 920 spreads the arms apart,picks the card off the assembler with flip pads 916 and puts it in theseat 814 of the printer tray 810 where it is secured to the tray seatwith grips 812. Referring now to FIG. 11b , the tray 810 closes and theprinter transfers 1120 the first image to the case and storage unit.When the first side has been printed, the printer tray 810 opens and thegripper 408 picks the card off the printer 406, rises up a few inches,allowing space to turn it over, flips the unit 1122 and puts it backdown on the printer tray seat 814 where it is secured to allowretransfer of the second side 1124. There are many types of grippingeffectors available. For example, grippers may be equipped with vacuumcups or claw- or pincer-type effectors that can pick up and moveobjects; others may have finger-like gripping surfaces that can bemachined to contours that fit precisely around a specific object, suchas a storage unit casing, others may use electro-magnets to attractmagnetic material in the storage unit and/or casing. When the secondside of the case and storage unit has been printed, the tray 810 opens1126 to release the finished product. The gripper moves 1128 thefinished product to finished product bins 418. Users may manuallyretrieve the finished units from the output bins 418.

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate another exemplary robotic gripping mechanism(gripper) 408 a similar with the gripper 408 illustrated in FIG. 8. Theprimary function of the gripping mechanism 408 a is to facilitatemovement of the assembled case-and-storage unit to and from the printertray, to flip the casing to the second side following printing of thefirst side, and to carry the finished, printed product to a finishedproduct bin 418, using vertical movements from the lift 410, rotationfrom the wrist 902, and outward movements of the arms, or claws 904. Thegripper illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15 is comprised of onemicrocontroller and a number of motors and sensors that drive thegripper to perform its functions. PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly)A 804 receives information from clamp 2000 and 2001, rotation 910 andcase present 2000 and 2001 sensors to guide gripper functions andcontrols and activates a casing rotate motor 908. A casing presentsensor 2000 and 2001 provides the controller with an indication ofwhether a card is in the claw (arms) 904, or if it has been picked upbut fallen off the grip 904. PCBA B 906 provides a tie point for thedynamic cables that move with the gripper 408. Cables are highlyflexible and run between PCBA A 804 and PCBA B 906. Both arms 904 movewith the cable as the wrist rotates, but do not flex in any direction.Casings are gripped with a flip pad 916 or similar element, allowing itto flip the casing from one side to another. Arms 904, or claws, moveoutward and rotate. The claw motor 920 drives the cam 1006 to spread thearms apart 904 (see FIG. 15). A tray present sensor 2000 and 2001informs the gripper controller of the presence or absence of the printertray 810, specifically, the precise vertical location of the printertray and indicating when the case and storage unit may be loaded intothe tray 810. Referring to FIG. 15, PCBA C 1002 facilitates thefunctionality of the clamp sensor 2000 and 2001 for the gripper arms.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, otheraspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes ofillustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scopebeing indicated by the following claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is also to beunderstood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising a recording device forrecording information on a memory chip; a bin platform containing rawmaterial bins; an assembler subsystem movably attached to the binplatform, the assembler subsystem comprising a shuttle for removing aselected sized casing from a casing bin and the memory chip from amemory bin and assembling the two into a single unit by applyingpressure; and a printing device for printing marks or indications on thecasing.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the single unit is a UniversalSerial Bus storage unit including: the casing integrated with aUniversal Serial Bus data interface; the memory chip; and a connectorthat couples the memory chip to the casing.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the casing is selected from multiple sizes.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the casing defines an outer surface upon which themarks or indications are printed.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein thebin platform further includes a casing bin and a storage bin.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the assembler subsystem further includes agripping mechanism including arms configured to grip and move the singleunit from the assembler subsystem to the printing device.
 7. The systemof claim 6, wherein the assembly subsystem further includes a liftmechanism to which the gripping mechanism is coupled, the lift mechanismbeing configured to vertically move the gripping mechanism.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the recording device is configured to recorddigital content on the memory chip.
 9. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising data storage that stores media files including the marks orindications.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system including aprocessing device programmed to access the media files and cause theprinting device to print the marks or indications on the casing.
 11. Amethod, comprising recording information on a memory chip; providing abin platform containing raw material bins; moving a shuttle forselecting a casing and the memory chip from the bin platform; assemblingthe casing and the memory chip into a single unit; and printing marks orindications on the casing.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein thesingle unit is a Universal Serial Bus storage unit including: the casingintegrated with a Universal Serial Bus data interface; the memory chip;and a connector that couples the memory chip to the casing.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising selecting the casing frommultiple sizes.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the casing definesan outer surface upon which the marks or indications are printed. 15.The method of claim 11, further comprising: selecting the casing from acasing bin on the bin platform; and selecting the memory chip from astorage bin on the bin platform.
 16. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising a gripping mechanism including arms configured to grip andmove the single unit.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisingusing a lift mechanism to move the gripping mechanism vertically. 18.The method of claim 11, further comprising recording digital content onthe memory chip.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising storingmedia files including the marks or indications on a data storage. 20.The method of claim 19, further comprising printing the marks orindications stored on the data storage on the casing.